Staph Infection From Wrestling Mats
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And more if you re involved with sports that use sports mats wrestling gymnastics martial arts yoga pilates you know that cleaning mats is part of everyday business to try avoiding fungus bacteria and viruses.
Staph infection from wrestling mats. 9 10 contact with a mat generally won t cause an infection as long as the skin is intact. Impetigo is yet another common infection found in wrestlers. While human to human contact is the most common source of the spread of staph infections the. The most common type of infection caused by staph is skin infections such as boils or pimples.
Staph can live on wrestling mats for days or even weeks so if mats are not decontaminated at least daily every wrestler who steps foot on one risks exposure. Keep reading for things that you can do to prevent infection and things your high school or college should be doing to protect wrestlers and athletes. This infection can be transmitted via open cuts and sores on the body he says or by sharing your towel or working out on a dirty floor mat. How wrestlers can prevent a mrsa infections on wrestling mats.
Thoroughly sanitize and disinfect all wrestling mats before and after use practice good hygiene and encourage everyone to wash clothes after practice attempt to clean wrestling room and allow for air flow bacteria and viruses thrive in hot moist and dark enclosed environments. A boil is an infection that develops in a hair follicle or oil gland. Educate themselves and others. It is vital that weight rooms wrestling rooms and athletic training rooms be thoroughly sanitized if there is any suspicion of staph infection to prevent further spread 2 5.
How you contract staph. How dirty is your gym. Wrestling mats are notorious for the spread of staph infections due to the amount of sweat on them and direct skin contact from athletes. The boil looks red and swollen and may break open and drain pus.
Staph can also cause blisters know as impetigo or cellulitis which causes skin to look red swollen and dimpled. Because of this signs and symptoms of staph infections vary widely depending on the location and severity of the infection. However a mat burn can be enough to let staph bacteria under the skin increasing the risk. Staph infections can range from minor skin problems to endocarditis a life threatening infection of the inner lining of your heart endocardium.
Mrsa and staph are preventable along with other skin infections flu and hiv.